Cultural tourism important for Brussels hotel sector

The Brussels Hotel Association (BHA) is a dynamic association that actively identifies and defends the interests of the hotel sector in Brussels. At the beginning of this year, this association welcomed a new chairman: Willem van der Zee. Hotelvak conducted an enlightening interview.

Since its creation in 2008, the Brussels Hotel Association (BHA) has grown into a major local economic interlocutor, representing no less than ninety per cent of hotels within the Brussels Capital Region. Think of over 17,500 rooms, 12,000 jobs and 7 million overnight stays per year. The BHA asbl brings together hotels with independent operators, chain hotels and aparthotels, without making any distinction in terms of capacity or category.

The specific interests of the hotel sector

In January 2024, Willem van der Zee appeared at the helm of this hotel ship as its new helmsman. Since September 2022, he has been Director of Operations for Belgium at Pandox, a leading Swedish hotel investment group, overseeing the operation of six hotels in Brussels. At the same time, Willem is also General Manager of the renowned The Hotel in our capital.

First and foremost, the aim remains to inform the BHA's members about the latest trends in the hotel sector. In addition, the association is aware of its essential role in presenting and conveying the important needs, wishes and concerns of the hotel sector to the various public authorities within the complex political landscape of Brussels and Belgium.

During the 2020-2022 period, in full pandemic, it was crucial to raise awareness among the various government agencies of the urgent need to put in place important and, above all, substantial financial support measures. This outcome was achieved through a constructive dialogue between the BHA and both national and regional political authorities. "This dialogue led to the adoption of essential support measures, vital for the realisation of lasting stability within our hotel sector," said Willem van der Zee.

Challenges

"As an association, we need to make sure that we are taken into account," Willem continues. "For example, current challenges, including high costs and staff shortages, are experienced differently at hotels than at pubs and restaurants. In doing so, we are pursuing regulatory harmony to create a more level playing field, for example in the face of emerging - and not always correct - competition from the Airbnb sector, among others."

In recent years, the economic situation of the Brussels hotel sector has improved significantly. "Although we are not yet at the level of the year 2019." For instance, business tourism has not yet fully recovered from the blows dealt by the pandemic zealously and, as a European capital with an important role in terms of MICE (congresses, trade fairs, etc.), "business tourism" currently remains the main source of revenue for the Brussels hotel sector.

Growth in leisure tourism

But this may soon change. For instance, leisure tourism or 'leisure' has been booming in Brussels in recent years. Here, new tourist attractions, such as the recently opened beer experience centre Belgian Beer World, can play an important role. Willem: "Another attraction will undoubtedly be the museum of modern art that will soon be built along the canal between Brussels and Molenbeek - near Tour & Taxis - where the Centre Pompidou in Paris plays a leading role. We therefore notice that cultural tourism is becoming increasingly important for the Brussels hotel sector."

Besides aparthotels and related 'long stay' concepts, new hybrid hotel formulas are gradually appearing in Brussels, combining more and more service functions under one roof (restaurant, coworking spaces, wellness, experience lobby, ...). With the general rise of a more experience-oriented tourism, there still seems to be a lot of room in Brussels for new kinds of high-quality hotel concepts with a strong distinctive character. In terms of image enhancement, much has already been done, but the ultimate goal of the BHA is the creation of a strong Brussels brand with a high quality content that should be the result of an effective branding process.